Ted Cruz and John Kasich are poised to put an end to Donald Trump’s campaign. On Sunday evening, the two presidential candidates announced they were teaming up to deny the businessman delegates — a uncommon move in American politics. Under the terms agreed, Cruz would cede Oregon and New Mexico, while Kasich would clear the way for Cruz in Indiana. As you might imagine, Trump has not been noiseless on the matter. Five more states — Pennsylvania, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Delaware — will make their mark on the 2016 election on Tuesday, with 172 delegates at stake. Christine has a detailed preview here .
Republican primaries
Donald Trump: Trump used the word “desperate” to describe the alliance between Cruz and Kasich announced Monday. He may not have to worry too much about his opponents uniting against him — at least not this week. Trump currently has double-digit distances between his two opponents in all five contests Tuesday. But the Indiana primary, which will be held on May 3, is a bit closer. Trump leads Cruz in the Hoosier State by just 5 points. Perhaps to avoid another needy showing at the state conventions, the Trump campaign will reportedly start courtship delegates to upcoming conventions in California and Virginia.
By the way, Trump is now called “Wonderful Donald.”
Ted Cruz: During a campaign rally in Indiana on Monday, Cruz made clear why he was joining forces with Kasich to stop Trump from winning the nomination. “If Donald Trump is nominated, Hillary wins,” Cruz said. The Texas senator also said it was “absolutely clear” that neither candidate would win 1,237 delegates and that Trump would be in trouble at a contentious convention. Before agreeing to Kasich’s campaign terms, Cruz won dozens of delegates over the weekend in Maine, South Carolina, Minnesota and Utah.
Jan Kasich:Kasich is no longer the only candidate without a Trump alias. On Monday, he was the frontrunner dubbed governor “1 for 38 Kasich,” in recognition of the only primary contest the Ohio governor has won so far in the 2016 race. Kasich continues to gain support, including from editors Baltimore Sun, Who argued that he was the only candidate who could attract independent and Democratic voters. Kasich had breakfast Monday morning at a Philadelphia diner, where he told reporters that his loyalty to Cruz was “not a big deal.”
Democratic primaries
Hillary Clinton: There was some unfortunate news about Clinton over the weekend. The longer she refused to release her Wall Street transcripts, the more reports emerged that she wanted thousands of dollars and other lavish demands for those controversial speeches. Elsewhere in the media world, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz admitted that Clinton’s utilize of a private server as secretary of state was certainly NO something her predecessors did. Hilariously, in the same interview, Schultz tried to argue that Clinton is the most see-through presidential candidate in history. During the campaign, Clinton praised a voter for asking her to utilize executive power to enforce greater gun control. Meanwhile, with a novel executive order, Gov. Terry McAuliffe has strengthened the criminal demographic for Hillary in November. She also received a lukewarm endorsement from… Charles Koch.
Bernie Sanders:Sanders is behind in most of Tuesday’s contests, but Connecticut looks tight and actually leads Clinton by a few points in Rhode Island. Pundits are already seeing this week as the end of the road for passionate progressives, but Sanders and his newborn supporters are certainly They left their mark in the Democratic Party and are unlikely to leave the establishment alone after the election.
Basic schedule
Tuesday – D/R primaries in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Maryland, Connecticut and Delaware
